Metal-sweating furnace



Feb. 12, 1929.

T. LEWIN R R uNNEWNQX M A 7 w w \m M f v M m V O w w w NW T -A/ 1% J Jm1 HT 6 e h a s v e e h S 2. E m W W9 l G11 m. mm WA m u MF E aw \N Feb.12, 1929.

1,701,722 T. LEWIN METAL SWEATING FURNACE Filed Aug. 1, 1927. 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Z N VE TOR 72/70/63 Lew f By W Fatented Feb, 12, do

LWL'ZZ TANNIE LEWIN', F UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURI.

METAL-SWEATING FURNACE.

Application filed August 1, 1927. Serial No. 209,806.

This invention relates generally to material-treating furnaces. Moreparticularly,

my invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in furnacesofthe type that are especially adapted for effecting by sweating theextraction of the solder or other readily fusible metal constituent ofmanufactured products and the like.

Used manufactured products, such as used receptacles and containers,automobile radiators, and the like, commonly known as scrap, comprisesolder more or less largely as a constituent of their manufacture, and

my invention has for its chief object the provision of a furnace of thetype mentioned wherein and whereby especially the solder constituent ofsuch material or scrap may be economically and efiiciently extracted andsubstantially without waste recovered for commercial utilization.

And with the above and other objects and advantages in View, myinvention resides in the novel features of form, construction,arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described and pointedout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational, partly broken, View of a metal-sweatingfurnace 3a embodying my invention" Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentallongitudinal sectional view of the furnace;

Figure 3 'is a transverse sectional view of the furnace on approximatelythe line 3-3,

Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a reduced fragmental side elevational view of the furnace,looking upon the side thereof opposite to that of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a reduced plan view of the auxiliary conveyor of thefurnace.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to thedrawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, Adesignates the furnace-shell or casing, which is built or otherwisedisposed on a foundation or other place of support 1, and which includessuitably spaced parallel side walls 2, 2, and a top wall 3, allconstructed of fire-brick or other suitable refractory material andre-enforced and tied together by upstanding externally disposed metallicbeams or braces 1, and cross-rods 5, as best seen in Figures 1 and 3.

The shell A at its opposite end walls 36 is preferably more or less ofopen structure, and disposed transversely within the shell A andimbedded at their opposite ends in its side walls 2, is a series ofspaced I-beams 6, which, in turn, support spaced longitudinal series ofbeams 7, 7. Further, in turn, upon the beams 6 and 7 is supported asuitable refractory floor 8 and a plurality of stub-partitions 9, whichprovide or form within shell A a series or plurality of chambers 10,access into which may be conveniently had through respective openings 11provided for the purpose in one of the shell side-walls 2, as best seenin Figure 8, the openings 11 being normally closed by suitable doors orgates 12. Chambers 10 function to receive and collect the solder sweator extracted from the material being treated, as will shortly appear,the collected solder or other fused metal being drained or removed fromsuch chambers in any suitable or convenient manner; preferably for thispurpose pan-like receptacles 13 are disposed removably in the severalchambers 10, as best seen in Figure 2.

Disposed lengthwise or longitudinally from end to end within the shell Aand supported by the partitions 9, is a trackway comprising a pair ofspaced parallel trackmembers 14, each of which members is of hollowpreferably rectangular formation, the track-members 14 being closed atthe ends of the furnace and connected together preferably at the rearend of shell A by a transversely disposed communicating tubular or (pipemember 15.

Lea ing from a suitable source of cooling fluid supply under pressureand communieating with one of the track-members 14: preferably at theforward end of shell A, is a supply-pipe 16, and leading from the othertrack-member 14 also preferably at the forward end of shell A, is adischargepipe 17, the Water or other cooling fluid so supplied to theone track-member 14 circulating through the trackwayand functioning toconstantly cool and maintain the trackway at more or less reduced eventern-- perature to prevent buckling thereof under the more or lessintense heat to which the trackway is subjected in the operation of thefurnace.

Suitably supported on or imbedded in the side walls 2 of shell A andextending longitudinally through, and beyond the opposite ends of, shellA, as best seen in Figure 1, are parallel channels 18, which providesupports at the ends of shell A for suitable bearings 19 forcross-shafts 20, 20, upon each of which are mounted in substantially thevertical planes of the track-members 14 suitable sprocket-wheels 21, 21,and disposed for movement relatively to and through shell A, is anendless carrier or conveyor B comprising suitable rollers 22 adapted fortravel upon the track-members let and links 23 pivotally connecting theseveral rollers 22 and adapted for meshing engagement with the sprockets21. Forming part of conveyer B and supported for movement in and throughshell A by the pivotally or flexibly connected rollers 22, areplate-sections 2% preferably of oblong rectangular structure, whichplates, by means of slots or other suitable openings, are each providedor formed preferably with a plurality of apertures, as at 25. Thelink-connected rollers 22 having meshing engagement with thesprockets21, it will be evident that, as the sprockets 21 are rotatably driven,the conveyor B willbe caused to travel on said trackway in a feedingdirection rearwardly relatively to and through shell A, and then underor beneath the flooring 8 in a non-feeding direction forwardly throughshell A, and for such purpose preferably the rear shaft 20 has fixedthereon a suitable gear 26 having driven chain-connection 27 with amotor or other prime mover 28. Preferably the bearings 19 of the forwardshaft 20 are adapted for shifting adjustably relativelyto shell A, sothat play or slack in the conveyer B may be conveniently controlled andregulated, and to facilitate return travel of conveyer B under theflooring 8, shell A is preferably provided with a supplementary trackwayprovided by longitudinally disposed parallel series of suitablepreferably I-beams 37 disposed on cross-beams 38 supported by theshell-walls 2.

Leading from a suitable source of fuel supply preferably liquid, oil orgas, into shell A through its forward end wall 36, is a feed-pipe 29having a fuel feed control valve 30 and provided at its discharge-endwithin shell A with a suitable nozzle 31 adapted to direct the flame andheat of the ignited discharging fuel downwardly upon the conveyer B andrearwardly of shell A, a stack 32 being suitably provided in the rearend wall 36 of shell A, for carrying off the products of combustion.

Now, in use and operation, the conveyer B being caused to travel and thedischarging fuel being ignited, the scrap or other material C to betreated for the extraction of its solder or other readily fusible con:stituent is placed upon the conveyor B at the forward end of shell A, asis illustrated in Figure 1. As the conveyer B moves rearwardly throughthe shell A, the material C is carried along through shell A andsubjected to the heat created by the discharging fuel, with the resultthat its solder or other readily fusible constituent is melted or sweatoff and flows through the openings or apertures 25 of theconveyer-plates 24: into the pans or other receptacles 13, which latterin due course may be removed from the shell A as described and thecontained solder or other metal then recovered for utilization. It will,of course, be understood that the degree and kind of heat and the speedof travel of the conveyer B may be readily determined, regulated, andfixed to efficiently meet substantially all operating conditions. Asshown in Figure 3, one of the channels 18 is suitably cut-away, as at 18in alignment with the pan or other receptacle openings 11.

Frequently, some of the material being handled is of such shapes thatthe fused solder or other metal is prevented from flowing or runninginto the pans 13 during the feeding travel of conveyer B and is carriedalong with the material to the discharge end of shell A. To recover suchportion of the fused metal and thereby obviatewaste, I preferablyprovide at the rear or discharge end of shell A a second or auxiliaryconveyer D comprising a shiftablepreferably roller supported platform33, mounted upon which is an endless series of link-connected androller-supported slotted or otherwise perforated or apertured plates 34substantially similar in structure and function to the plates 24 of themain conveyer B. The auxiliary conveyer D, in practice, is disposed inrelation to the discharge-end of shell A and main conveyer B to receivethereon the material being handled and treated as it falls from conveyerB on being discharged from shell A, and also mounted on platform 33 toreceive any fused metal flowing or falling from such material as it isreceived on and carried along with the plates 34, is a removable pan orother receptacle 35. Thus waste of metal fused in shell A issubstantially entirely eliminated, and, the conveyer D being shiftablerelatively to shell A, as illustrated in Figure 5, the treated materialmay be conveniently led from shell A in any desired direction forfurther handling.

Thus by my new furnace I am enabled with facility, speed, convenience,and little labor to handle and subject to proper heat material of theclass mentioned and economically, efiiciently, and substantially withoutwaste extract and recover therefrom their solder or other easily fusibleconstituent.

It is to be also understood that changes in the form, construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my furnace may bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described withoutdeparting from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1.- In a metal-sweating furnace, a shell, a wall disposed horizontallywithin the shell, a trackway extending longitudinally of the shell anddisposed over and spaced upwardly from said wall, a carrier comprisingmembers adapted for travel on the trackway and apertured platessupported for movement relatively to the shell by said members forconveying through the shell the material being handled, means forsubjectin the conveyed material to metal-sweating eat, and chambers uponsaid wall and beneath said trackway for receiving the fused metalflowing through said plates from the material being conveyed.

2. In a metal-sweating furnace, a shell, a wall disposed horizontallywithin and intermediate the top and bottom walls of the shell, atrackway extending longitudinally of the shell and disposed over andspaced upwardly from said wall, a second trackway also extendinglongitudinally of the shell and disposed under and spaced downwardlyfrom said Wall, an endless carrier for conveying through the shellthematerial being handled, said conveyor traveling upon said trackways overand under said wall and comprising a series of connected aperturedplates, means for subjecting the conveyed material to heat, and chambersupon said wall and beneath the first trackway for receiving the fusedmetal flowing through said plates from the material being conveyed.

3. In a metal-sweatin furnace, a shell, a wall disposed horizontalywithin and intermediate the top and bottom walls of the shell, atrackway extending longitudinally of the shell and disposed over andspaced upwardly from said wall, a second trackway also extendinglongitudinally of the shell and disposed under and spaced downwardlyfrom said wall, an endless carrier for conveying through the shell thematerial being handled, said conveyor traveling upon said trackways overand under said wall and comprising a series of connected aperturedplates, means for subjectmg the conveyed material to heat, said heatingmeans including a nozzle for discharging the heating medium downwardlyupon the carrier and rearwardly of the shell, and chambers upon saidwall and beneath the first trackway for receiving the fused metalflowing through said dplates from the material being conveye Intestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

TAN NIE LEWIN.

